THE WANDERER'S NECKLACE (Illustrated) [NOOK Book]

"The Wanderer's Necklace' gives us all the old thrills that we felt while reading "King Solomon's Mines" and "She." There are incidents and excitements from the first page to the last.

It is a story of reincarnation, the incarnated telling his own story. Haggard has set the scene of the story back to the dark ages. For a certain mood, there are no story that can take the place of this almost improbable tale. When one wants complete rest, an H. Rider Haggard story is sure to fill the bill. It exacts nothing from us, not even the belief in its reality; we take it for fiction, and we do not care whether such things could be or whether they could not be. We are out to be entertained,to have our minds taken off other more serious matters, and stories such as "The Wanderer's Necklace" do this to perfection.

This story of reincarnation, although reincarnation has little to do with it, serves as a medium, enabling the author to put into the first person, more verisimilitude and impressiveness than he could otherwise have done for his tale of travel and adventure. The person who tells the story, explores into his own subconsciousness, has become aware of a past existence that lived many centuries ago. As one might delve into the earth for the skeleton of an extinct animal, he has dug into his reviving memories and brought forth and patched together scenes and events until he has made an almost complete whole.

Back to the ninth century goes the mind of the reader as he turns the opening pages. The first scenes are in Scandinavia, the later ones In Byzantium and Egypt."

The hero of the tale is Olaf, a young Briton, who, at the request of his lady love, robs the grave of a great warrior and brings away the so-called Wanderer's necklace. But the lady plays her lover false and in a dream he learns that sometime, somewhere he will find a woman wearing the other half of the necklace he has stolen, and this woman will be his in love.

As a result of the treachery of Iduna the Fair, which brings tragedy in its wake, the hero travels from the North to the Byzantine Empire and there becomes the trusted servant of the Empress Irene, who would like to many him. But he remains true to the woman of his dreams, and at last he finds her, though his love for her brings terrible trials upon him through the rejected Queen.

The new-found Christianity plays an important part in the story, Olaf himself being a convert, and as a Christian finding numerous hardships put upon him.

H. Rider Haggard gives us and adventurous and romantic story. One recalls that most entertaining of all his novels, "The Brethren", and sighs that there have been too few like it. But "The Wanderer's Necklace" is a tale that keeps the interest occupied, and glimpses for us bits of rare and ancient tapestry in which are woven deeds of valor and the poetry of old than which there are few things more splendid, more inspiring, more delightful.

It is a very interesting tale, with a flavor of romance that gives it a sense of wide appeal.